Chapter 1

Mass Communication:A Critical Approach

News Media and Our Political Process

“But as news-media outlets—often subsidiary companies of large

entertainment conglomerates—chase ratings and ads, how well are

democracy and journalism being served?”

Restore Sanity

The Media Storytellers

• At their worst, the media’s appetite for telling and selling stories leads them to exploit or misrepresent tragedy.• Hurtle from one event to another• Lose their critical distance

• If we can examine and critique the powerful dynamics of the media, we will be better able to monitor the rapid changes going on around us.

Culture and the Evolution of Mass Communication

• Mass media consists of cultural institutions/cultural industries:• Media• Schools• Art• Beliefs

Eras in Communication

• Oral communication• Written communication• Printed communication• Electronic communication• Digital communication

The Digital Era

• Digital communication redefined news and social interaction.

• Bloggers have become an important part of the news industry.

• Social media like Facebook connect people in a new way.

Media Convergence in the Digital Era

• Media convergence:

1.The merging of content across different media channels

2.Also refers to cross platform, the consolidation of media holdings under one corporation

The Evolution of a New Mass Medium

• Novelty, or development, stage

• Entrepreneurial stage

• Mass medium stage

Models of Mass Communication

• Linear model• Sender—message—mass media channel—(gatekeepers)—receivers

• How does feedback fit into the model?• The cultural model recognizes that individuals bring diverse meaning to messages.

Figure 1.1

Daily Media Consumption by Platform, 2010 (8- to 18-year-olds)

How much media do you consume per day?

Culture as a Skyscraper

•High culture

•Low culture

•Different media for each, but many people consume both

Culture as a Map

•Culture is an ongoing, changing process.

•Accounts for diverse and individual tastes

Figure 1.3Culture as a Map

Cultural Values of the Modern Period

• Four key values:• Working efficiently• Celebrating the individual• Believing in a rational order• Rejecting tradition/embracing progress

Shifting Values in Postmodern Culture

• Four features of the postmodern:• Celebrating populism• Diversifying and recycling culture• Questioning science and revering nostalgia

• Acknowledging paradox

Critiquing Media and Culture

• Media literacy is a critical, not cynical, approach.

• Involves an analysis and interpretation of facts

• Encourages YOU to take action to help shape the cultural environment

Media Literacy and the Critical Process

•Description•Analysis• Interpretation•Evaluation•Engagement

Benefits of a Critical Perspective

• Evaluate the standards by which we judge our culture

• Recognize the links between cultural expression and daily life

• Monitor how well the media serve democratic practices